Outside he found Morgan and JJ waiting. Both had a questioning look on their faces. Hotch passed them, motioning for them to follow, not saying anything. Derek nudged JJ in the side, also wondering what was happening to their fellow agent.
He pulled out his cell and dialled Emily's number. "Any progress?" He listened for a moment, obviously Prentiss and Reid had not made any noticeable discovery in the case. "Meeting in 15 at the police station." He ended the phone call, standing still for a second but then moved on briskly. Morgan and JJ followed silently.
Hotchner felt strange, tired and confused. He had not the slightest idea of how to begin. He felt the eyes of every team member burning holes into his body, waiting for him to clear up the situation. He knew he had to do it or withdraw himself from the case but at the same time he knew he would be of best help to both society, the victims and their families and her if he just told the truth. He swallowed hard and tried to keep his voice firm and regular.
"When I first read her name, I didn't think it was her. How big can be the coincidence of her being involved in one of our cases, as head witness." What a mess of a start, he thought briefly. He looked around, unsure how to continue. Everybody saw how hard it was for him to open up that way to his colleagues. "Mrs. Cartwright and I worked together, she was an Assistant District's Attorney. Her last case was a homicide of extraordinary brutality and I was assigned to supervise and help out. She never asked for protection but it was quite obvious that she was in danger. She had gotten attacked twice before the trial, the first time they tried to shoot her from a passing car and the second time they set fire to her house. But even that did not intimidate her. She showed up for the trial and got the person responsible behind bars. But when the verdict was out, the brother who had been there the whole time jumped the ward and took his gun..." Hotch looked down onto his hands that were folded in his lap. His mouth moved slightly but no sound escaped his thin lips. He had never been a person to share personal thoughts or feelings but there had been more than one time when he had been reminded that there is no I in team by either Morgan or Rossi.
Reid cleared his throat with a low noise but it was enough for Hotch to continue. He raised his hands a little as if in despair. "And she got shot right in front of me..." his voice had suddenly gotten thin and flat.
JJ looked at him closely and could almost read from his eyes what he really felt but didn't say. 'I couldn't do anything, I was paralyzed, all I felt was her weight and the blood…' She had developed such a perfection in reading a person but doing this on her colleague, reading this in one of her closest friends made her feel strange. It was almost a daily routine to read this in the victim's families or persons that had found still living victims. But now she wasn't sure if her interpretation took her too far, she implied a personal relationship, maybe his sadness came simply from the fact that he couldn't prevent the crime instead of his inability to protect her in a way that was a little more private. But according to the worried, almost frightened look in his eyes – which was something that JJ had never seen before in Hotch – her first intuition was right.
Hotch coughed shortly and made a harsh movement with one arm as if to wipe away the topic. "Of course, we also got this guy into jail. Amber was rushed to the hospital, she had received 2 bullets, both into the chest." Once again, Hotch lost his line of thought and fell silent. He knew very well that his team was just not used to him getting all sentimental and this was not the time to prove to them that inside he was just a normal person with feelings and emotions.
Reid noticed the change in the usage of her name, first Hotchner had called her Mrs. Cartwright and now he just used her first name. Something told Reid that their relationship had been more than just work colleagues.
Emily broke the uneasy silence, stating the obvious. "But she survived…"
Aaron looked up. "Yes, she did, yes. The bullets missed any mayor artery but punctured her lung and fragmented her sternum. Being comatose for a few days, she was hospitalized for nearly 3 months and after that, she resigned from work, moved to another city and was never heard of again. I haven't seen her since then." He cleared his throat again, this time it hurt. He tried to look openly at his colleagues to gather whatever impression or emotion radiated from them. But he found nothing but compassion.
"Now she is an important witness in our case. We will treat her as any other regular witness, no extra attention whatsoever, neither from your side nor from mine."
Morgan suppressed an "Amen...", he knew perfectly well that Hotchner would do so. He had the strictest rules and the most rigid personality. But since there was some sort of personal relationship between the SSA and the witness, he hoped that they could and would make good use of it. People tended to be more compliant and clear-minded around friends.
JJ suppressed a sigh. She saw how hard Aaron fought to withdraw and detach himself from the case, especially from their head witness. This case would not be easy for neither of them. She herself found it especially hard when there were children involved. And this case sounded especially cruel because no one knew about the whereabouts of those children whose parents had been executed right in front of them.
Hotch looked at his watch and noticed that this meeting had gone by so fast and yet every minute weighed so heavy on him that he felt he would crash beneath them.
"But we need to find out if there is a connection between her and the accident. Maybe it was planned? Maybe she also was a target?" Prentiss asked.
Rossi answered her: "It is unlikely." He said in his serene voice. "In the other incidents there were always other vehicles or bystanders involved yet none was able to describe the Unsub. You know how it is, an accident happens but no one remembers the licence-plate or the color of the car. People are shocked and look the other way. Since Mrs. Cartwright was directly involved and according to the files had the best view on the Unsub, there might be the chance that we actually get vital information."
"Now..." Morgan started, "I honestly think that the Unsub's behaviour is not as erratic as we thought first. There is some structure, I just can't put my finger on it..."
Reid nodded. "There has to be a connection. I would like to take a look at the car wrecks and maybe the police files..."
Aaron glanced at his wrist watch. It was late. "Ok, Morgan, Reid, go over the police records and get Garcia working on related cases. Have her dig into the usual, go back at least 5 years. Dave, Prentiss, check out the family's background, visit friends and neighbors, we need to find out if there was anyone in common holding a grudge against them…We need to be prepared, the Unsub can lash out again any moment...JJ, control the media. Try to keep a lid on it, we need to avoid the name giving and wild theories."
Everyone nodded and started clearing out of the office. JJ stayed behind.
After a few moments of ordering the files on the table, Hotch sighed and looked up. "What is it?" he ashed huskily.
Jennifer didn't say anything until her superior looked at her. "If I may suggest..." she paused and smiled. "Why don't you go back to the hospital and find out as much as you can?"
